Status and Role of the National Assembly

The National Assembly is the representative of the rights, powers and interests of the multi-ethnic people. The National Assembly is also the legislative branch that has the right to make decisions on fundamental issues of the country, [and] to oversee the activities of the executive organs, the people's courts and the Office of the Public Prosecutor.

Rights and Duties of the National Assembly

The National Assembly has the following rights and duties:

1. To prepare, adopt or amend the Constitution;

2. To consider, adopt, amend or abrogate the laws;

3. To consider and adopt the determination, amendment or abrogation of duties and taxes;

4. To consider and adopt government report on the implementation of the socio-economic development and the State budget;

5. To elect or remove the President, the Vice-President and members of the National Assembly Standing Committee, to establish or dissolve the committees of the National Assembly, to elect or remove the chairmen of the committees, the Director of the

Cabinet of the National Assembly, vice-chairmen of the committees of the National Assembly, [and to] establish or dissolve the International Parliamentary Committee of the National Assembly based on the recommendation of the National Assembly Standing Committee;

6. To elect or remove the President and Vice-President of the State based on the recommendation of the National Assembly Standing Committee;

7. To consider and approve the proposed appointment or removal of the Prime Minister based on the recommendation of the President of the State;

8. To consider and approve the organisational structure of the government and the appointment, transfer or removal of members of the government based on the recommendation of the Prime Minister;

9. To elect or remove the President of the People's Supreme Court and the Supreme Public Prosecutor based on the recommendation of the President of the State;

10. To decide on the establishment or dissolution of the ministries, ministry-equivalent organisations, provinces and cities, and to determine boundaries of provinces and cities based on the recommendation of the Prime Minister;

11. To decide on granting amnesties;

12. To decide on the ratification of or [withdrawal from] treaties and agreements signed with foreign countries in accordance with the laws;

13. To decide on matters of war or peace;

14. To oversee the observance and implementation of the Constitution and laws, resolutions of the session of the National Assembly, resolutions of the National Assembly Standing Committee, the socio-economic development plan and the State budget, and projects that have national importance;

15. To cancel legal acts of the government, the Prime Minister, the People’s Supreme Court, the Office of the Supreme Public Prosecutor, the Lao Front for National Construction, and mass organisations at the central level that are inconsistent with the Constitution and laws. [In this provision,] legal acts of the People’s Supreme Court and the Office of the Supreme Public Prosecutor [refers] only to legal acts that are not related to case proceedings;

16. To make decisions regarding liaison and cooperation with parliaments and international organisations at the regional and international levels; [and]

17. To exercise such other rights and perform such other duties as provided by the laws.